Parliamentary questions
Nicola Sturgeon
676 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support calls for debt justice for any countries that are required to take on debt to recover from climate disasters and climate-related loss and damage.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.We have previously incorporated debt justice wi…
20 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports calls for global debt cancellation to be a key pillar of the UN Loss and Damage Fund, ensuring that climate-vulnerable nations are not required to take on more debt to recover from climate disasters.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.We have previously incorporated debt justice wi…
20 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use its role as a climate leader to advocate for debt cancellation as part of climate justice in the run-up to COP30.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.We have previously incorporated debt justice wi…
20 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its future plans are to further champion climate justice at international events, including in relation to the growing debt crisis faced by many climate vulnerable countries.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.We have previously incorporated debt justice wi…
20 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to attend the forthcoming Financing For Development summit in Seville.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government has yet to make a decision whether to attend the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain between 30 June and 3 July 2025. Scotland recognises the importance of international cooperation and co…
25 Feb 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with Glasgow City Council to secure the future of the Glasgow School of Sport.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Officials spoke with Glasgow City Council on 27 February 2025 following the decision to retract the proposal to close the Glasgow School of Sport. The Scottish Government understands that the proposal is no longer under active consideration.
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the (a) nature and (b) value of each of the supply chain projects being progressed through the strategic investment model developed by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council and its partners.
Answer · Gillian Martin: 32 of the 38 projects progressed through the industry-led Strategic Investment Model have consented to being published and a list is available online at: Strategic Investment Model Stage 2 projects announced | Offshore Wind ScotlandTen priority projects have …
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council’s collaborative framework charter and its development of a strategic investment model.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) drove efforts to create a Collaborative Framework Charter to increase collaboration within the offshore wind industry. The primary output of that work is the Strategic Investment Model (SIM).A strong pipeline …
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for public equity stakes in future offshore wind developments.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Within the Green Industrial Strategy, published on 11 September 2024, we set out how the people of Scotland will see maximum benefits from Scotland’s energy transition, including identifying Scotland’s wind economy as one of the five opportunity a…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring the supply chain development statements submitted by ScotWind developers as part of their option agreement applications, and what action it will take in the event that any commitments are not delivered.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is committed to maximising the economic opportunity for the Scottish supply chain from our offshore wind potential. We expect developers to honour their commitments set out in the Supply Chain Development Statements (SCDS) which were a…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any additional conditionality that could be asked of developers applying to future offshore wind leasing rounds, to ensure maximum supply chain development.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Seabed leasing for offshore wind is administered by Crown Estate Scotland (CES), which sets the terms of lease. Leasing terms may vary between leasing rounds to ensure that such agreements remain fit for purpose and reflect the latest statutory requirements a…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the financial health of private providers of residential children’s homes to ensure that there is early warning of potential failure, in line with the recommendation by the Competition and Markets Authority.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not monitor the financial health of private providers of residential children’s homes. Local authorities are responsible for the placement of children and young people and decisions that relate to the most suitable options f…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to the Competition and Markets Authority report, Children’s social care market study.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government welcomes the 2021 Competition and Markets Authority report. We continue to consider the recommendations relevant to Scotland in line with implementation of the Promise. We are working alongside COSLA and local government to consider wh…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to set aside funding, equal to that drawn down from ScotWind to help achieve budget balance, over future years for investment in projects to assist the transition to net zero.
Answer · Shona Robison: I am giving careful consideration into how remaining ScotWind funding should be deployed in both the current and future years. Through our emergency controls and savings announced on 3 September, I will seek to minimise usage of ScotWind in 2024-25.Successive…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost is of a placement in residential children’s homes owned by (a) local authorities, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) private entities.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the presumption against sibling separation of looked after children will be fully operational in all local authority areas.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Scottish Government legislation places a duty on local authorities to keep siblings together when they can’t live at home with their family. We published National Practice Guidance in 2021 alongside the legislation to support practitioners with implemen…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have ended the practice of excluding looked after or care experienced children from school, and by what date it anticipates that all local authorities will have done so.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The latest statistics on exclusions of looked after or care-experienced children show that there were no exclusions of children looked after in the last year in 2022-23 in Orkney Islands. Exclusions rates per 1,000 pupils who were looked after ranged from 7.4…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations in the Hearings for Children: Hearings System Working Group's Redesign Report.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: After a 20 month independent review, the Hearings System Working Group (HSWG), chaired by Sheriff Mackie, published its report on 25 May 2023.Following detailed analysis, The Scottish Government published its response to the ‘Hearings for Children&rsquo…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much local authorities have spent on placements in residential children’s homes owned by (a) local authorities, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) private entities in each year since the publication of The Promise in 2020.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: In 2020-2021, there was a total of £118.9m spent on accommodation-based services for children and young people. A breakdown by provider is not available for this year.In 2021-2022 there was a total of £133.4 million spent on accommodation-based se…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its policy is for local authorities not to award contracts for the delivery of children’s residential care to profit-making companies, and, if so, by what date it anticipates that this policy will be implemented.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Local authorities are responsible for the placement of children and young people and decisions that relate to the most suitable options for meeting their needs.The Promise is clear that there is no place for profiting in how Scotland cares for its children. T…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many looked after or care experienced young people have been excluded from school in each year since the publication of The Promise in 2020.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Statistics on school exclusions are collected and published biennially.In 2020-21, there were 1,650 exclusions of children who had been looked after within the last year. In 2022-23, there were 1,912 exclusions of children who had been looked after within the…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all local authorities record instances of looked after children being separated from siblings, and, if not, which local authorities do not yet do so, and by when it anticipates that all local authorities will routinely record this data.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government’s National Practice Guidance on siblings and the Looked after Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 highlights the importance of recording information about a child’s brothers and sisters.From 2023-2024, data reported by all…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many foster agencies are operational in Scotland, and, of these, how many are owned by (a) local authorities, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) private entities.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Fostering services in Scotland can be owned and operated by local authorities, or third sector not-for-profit organisations. The Care Inspectorate publish quarterly statistics, which includes the number of registered fostering agencies in Scotland. The most r…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all local authorities record instances of looked after or care experienced young people being restrained, and, if not, which local authorities do not, and by what date it anticipates that all local authorities will record this data.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. It is for local authorities to determine their own mechanisms for recording instances of restraint in relation to looked after or care experienced children and young people and any record of this would b…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children’s residential care homes there are in Scotland, and, of these, how many are owned by (a) local authorities, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) private entities.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Care Inspectorate publish quarterly statistics which includes the numbers of registered care services in Scotland. The link to the most recent statistics, published on 15 August 2024, can be found here:https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/publicatio…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many looked after or care experienced young people have been subject to restraint in each year since the publication of The Promise in 2020.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The wellbeing and safety of children and young people is always paramount, and the Scottish Government is clear that the use of restraint should always be a last resort in exceptional circumstances when it is the only practicable means of securing the welfare…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of looked after children have been separated from at least one of their birth siblings in each year since the publication of The Promise in 2020.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government has worked with local authorities to introduce new data related to siblings into the annual Looked after Children Statistics (CLAS). This data will help establish the extent to which children are placed together with their siblings in …
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all local authorities are now paying foster and kinship carers equally and at a level equivalent to at least the recommended standard national rate.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The implementation of the Scottish Recommended Allowance for Foster and Kinship Carers was an agreement between Scottish Government and COSLA. Part of this agreement was that where local authorities were already paying above the national minimum allowance, th…
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding how such a policy could apply in Scotland, what assessment it has made of the Welsh Government’s legislative proposal to remove profit from the care of looked after children.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Promise is clear that there is no place for profiting in how Scotland cares for its children and the Scottish Government supports this principle.The Scottish Government meets with the UK Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive …
5 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the ownership structure is of any private entity operating residential children’s homes or foster agencies in Scotland.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold this information in relation to children’s residential homes. Residential children’s homes can be owned and operated by health boards, local authorities, private, or third sector not for profit organisations.T…